


Day 326

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [326]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:13:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27676549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [326]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257
Kudos: 1





	Day 326

Athenril and her men brought the wagons up to the gates of Kirkwall. The city and the merchant’s guild had been at odds for the past few weeks, each one trying to get one up on the other financially. That meant a sort of arms race of taxation where the city imposed new import taxes on goods and the merchant’s guild found ways around them. Varric Tethras had hired Athenril and her band to get some goods into the city while avoiding the taxes. Pretty standard stuff for her team and, with luck, it would lead to more steady work.

Their band had managed to hold on where many had failed in recent years and it seemed the Coterie and Carta had lost respect among the wealthy elite of Kirkwall. It was the perfect opportunity for her band to go from barely hanging on to financially stable. As stable as smugglers ever got anyway.

The guards were inspecting every wagon that passed through the gates which had created a long line up outside. A lot of the merchants and farmers coming through had not yet heard about the new taxes and were unprepared.

When Athenrial got to the front of the line she handed over the contract Varric had written up for her. The guard took one look at them and narrowed his eyes at her.

“You’re working for Tethras?” he said. Athenril nodded.

“He said for all expenses to be taken from his accounts in the city.”

“Right...” the guard said, running his tongue over his teeth. “There have been several new taxes implemented recently that you might not be aware of.”

“What sort of taxes?” Athenrial asked, widening her eyes in mock surprise.

“Mostly on building supplies, granite, lumber, clay, iron ore, processed iron.”

“What about food?” Athenril asked.

“Only on certain luxury foods like cakes and anything from Orlais and Tevinter.”

“Well, ”Athenril said, breathing a sigh of relief, “we only have vegetables. Carrots cabbages and celery.”

“And Varric Tethras is paying your expenses?” he asked. Athenril nodded. The guard told her to wait and he went to gather three more guards who proceeded to search every inch of the wagons. They looked inside the crates (absolutely packed with vegetables) they checked for false bottoms on the wagons and for hidden compartments in the crates. They gave Athenril and her men a thorough search for anything illicit on their persons (of which there was none) and when that didn’t turn up anything they cut open a few cabbages to see if they were hiding anything inside.

The guards argued amongst themselves for a long time before slinking over to Athenril with defeated expressions on their faces. 

“It seems you’re free to go with the standard fee that will be charged to the Tethras account.”

“Thank you,” Athenril said with a smile and headed deeper into Lowtown. They arrived at the foundry where Varric and the Champion were waiting for them.

“We have your goods,” she said, jabbing her thumb at the wagons.

“My thanks,” Varric said. “The city really went nuts with the taxes this time. I hope the guards didn’t give you a hard time.” Athenril laughed at that.

“When they heard we were working for you,” she said, “they practically ripped the wagons apart and stripped us down to our knickers looking for what we were smuggling. But they never suspected.”

Varric smiled and gestured for his people to start unloading and then dismantling the wagons. Between all the wagons, there was enough wood to build a decent sized house… or convert a foundry into an orphanage that could hold a hundred grubby children.

“This lumber tax must be pretty extreme if paying us costs less than just paying the taxes.”

“Slightly,” Varric replied. “But it’s more about the principal of the thing. Plus now I know you can deliver if I need your services again.”

Athenril gave the dwarf a bow and left him to his little charity project.


End file.
